


Growing Up (and falling in love)

by NarryEm



Series: One Direction Erotica/Fluff-fest/Wangst as written by EmilyY [41]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Childhood, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Growing Up, M/M, Multi, Recreational Drug Use, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2018-01-12 06:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1182958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarryEm/pseuds/NarryEm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>I'll be eighty-seven; you'll be eighty-nine</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I'll still look at you like the stars that shine</i>
  <br/>
  <i>In the sky, oh my my my...</i>
</p><p> </p><p>Harry and Niall grow up together. Naturally, they fall in love somewhere along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growing Up (and falling in love)

**Author's Note:**

> title and summary from "Mary's Song (Oh, My, My, My) by Taylor Swift.
> 
> just another self-indulgent fic in time for Valentine's Day aka Single And Damn Happy to Be Day yayyy

  
_She said, I was seven and you were nine_   
_I looked at you like the stars that shined_   
_In the sky, the pretty lights_

 

 

Harry is seven when he meets Niall.

It's January and the first day back in school after the Christmas holidays. The ground is blanketed with fresh snow and it's so pretty, in Harry's opinion.

It's also lunchtime so he is sat outside. He's looking around the playground when he spots someone new.

"Hi," he says, walking up to the kid.

The kid looks up and for a moment, Harry is mesmerised by those blue, blue eyes. "Hi."

"You sound funny."

"I'm Irish," he says with a shrug. "Me name's Niall."

"Harry."

And just like that, they become best friends.

 

 

_-_

 

 

 _And our daddies used to joke about the two of us_  
_Growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled_  
_And rolled their eyes and said oh my my my_

 

 

Turns out that Bobby and Robin used to work together many years ago. So they end up having lots of dinners together. After they have got a couple glasses of wine in them, they joke about how close Harry and Niall have grown and how one day, they will end up being in-laws.. Harry blushes, thinking that he won't mind it.

"I'll marry you," Niall says, eager and honest in a way only kids can be. "Love you forever."

"Yeah me too."

And their mothers snicker at their childish affection, cooing over their cuteness.

 

 

-

 

 

 _Take me back to the house in the backyard tree_  
_Said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me_  
_You never did, you never did_

 

 

Niall is twelve and Harry is eleven.

Over the summer, Niall has grown half a foot and he's way bigger than Harry now. And the kids that he hangs out with--Liam, Louis, and Zayn--they are even bigger and meaner looking.

There's this tree, in the backyard of the Styles' house. It's a gigantic oak that looks so strong and they've built a tree house up top together (with their dads' help, of course).

"They say that I shouldn't hang out with you," Niall blurts out.

Harry is surprised. "Why not?"

"I'm older than you and it's not cool for me to hang with kids who's still in primary."

"I'm a big boy, I really am!" Harry protests.

Niall frowns. "They also told me to punch you."

It's Harry's turn to frown. "What good would that do?"

"Beats me. But I'm not gonna. Love you too much to hurt you."

Harry smiles. "Love you too."

 

 

-

 

 

 _Take me back when our world was one block wide_  
_I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried_  
_Just two kids, you and I..._  
_Oh my my my my_

 

 

Harry is thirteen and Niall is fourteen. They are too old to hang out in their tree house anymore but they still do meet up beneath the tree. Harry's been through a growth spurt as well, but he's still shorter than Niall. And Niall, he's been bleaching his hair for the past few years and it looks good on him. It's just a few bright blond streaks but it makes him look so much more like an angel.

"What's kissing like?" Harry asks, looking up from his book.

Niall blushes. "Nothin' special. This bird I scored, she was right terrible at it. Made me wanna wince when she right up and kissed me outta nowhere."

"Why?"

"Too much tongue," Niall grimaces.

Harry has an idea. But he doesn't wanna squeak Niall out.

"Uh oh," Niall jokes. "You've an idea but you don't wanna tell me it. C'mon. Tell me."

Harry blushes. "It's terrible, though."

"Worse than my first kiss?"

 _Potentially,_ Harry thinks. "No."

Niall gets this evil glint in his eyes. In another second, Harry is tackled to the ground, the book falling out of his hands. Niall's nimble fingers are everywhere, tickling him mercilessly.

"Stop, stop!" Harry shrieks, tears in his eyes. "You're proper diabolical, that's what you are."

"Tell me what ya were thinkin'," he demands.

"I dare you to kiss me."

Silence fills the gap between them and for a moment Harry feels as though his entire body is on fire. Niall's eyes slip closed and his face looms closer. Harry scrambles to remember what they do in the kissing scenes from films and telly shows he's seen.

And just as he feels Niall's pink lips brush his own, the weight over his body is gone, followed by a cackle.

"Gotta catch me first for a kiss," Niall singsongs as he runs off.

 

 

-

 

 

 _Well, I was sixteen when suddenly_  
_I wasn't that little girl you used to see_  
_But your eyes still shined like pretty lights_

 

 

Summer is so close to fading away into the dull skies of autumn, and Harry finds himself sat in Niall's room with a rolled-up blunt between his fingers and Niall between his knees.

They were cuddling, they really were, but Niall lost his balance and he's never bothered to climb back up to his bed.

The weed came from Zayn, who got it from And and Dec, no doubt. It's good quality, doesn't choke them with too much smoke and gets them high hardcore.

Right now Harry is in that nice in-between state where he is sober enough to be aware of what is going on but high enough that he is seeing swirls of colours around Niall. It's a pretty kaleidoscope of pink, purple, silver and blue. _Niall_ blue.

"Mmm," Niall hums, breathing in more of the spliff. "Top class, this is. Gotta buy from Zaynie more often."

"Yeah," Harry says, the words swishing around his mouth and sticking to the roof of his mouth before it tumbles out.

The blond smiles up at him lazily. There's so many emotions swimming in them and Harry feels like he's going to drown in three, two, one . . .

Niall surges up and presses his lips to Harry's. There's the hot burst of smoke and acrid sweetness that dances across Harry's taste buds. He inhales the burning smoke and holds it in his lungs for as long as he can. He also tries to keep on kissing Niall.  Because it's Niall and he's so beautiful and lively and has this fuck-all carefree attitude that he envies.

When they break apart there's this hungry look to Niall's eyes.

And it's not just from pot.

Harry gladly opens his arms when Niall attacks him with kisses again.

 

 

-

 

 

_And our daddies used to joke about the two of us_   
_They never believed we'd really fall in love_   
_And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes_   
_And said oh my my my..._

 

 

Christmases have become a joint family tradition. Maura and Anne spend two days together getting all the food ready whilst Harry and Niall hang out.  Gemma is never really around right until the dinner because she's got a boyfriend now and Greg, well, he's busy with his girlfriend as well.

And no one really questions it when Niall and Harry hole themselves up in Niall's bedroom for hours.

"Mmm, this tastes so good," Niall mumbles, lips pressed to Harry's neck, their legs entangled together.

"Sneaked out of the dessert," Harry grins, shoving his tongue in deep and licking the hard palate of Niall's mouth.

"Yeah?" Niall breathes into Harry's mouth, trying to lick out as much of that sweet taste from the insides of Harry's mouth.

His hands gravitate towards Harry's wavy curls, less curly than what it was like years ago but nonetheless still pretty. Harry makes this whimpering sound whenever Niall pulls on it, a sound that borders between sickeningly adorable and sensuous that it makes Niall's head spin. Today is of no exception, and Niall smirks into their kiss. He wedges in a thigh right in-between Harry's as well, pinning Harry to the mattress with a half-arsed effort.

The kiss shifts tides, going further down the lusty side. Harry's hips start to rock up, longing for some friction and Niall is in the same state.

If they come downstairs ten minutes after they were called for dinner with flushing cheeks and rumpled clothes, well, their siblings certainly know what's just happened.

 

 

-

 

 

 _Take me back to the creek beds we turned up_  
_Two A.M. riding in your truck and all I need is you next to me_

 

 

There's this little stream that branches off from the river. And it's close enough that it's only a short ride away but it's still far away that it gives Harry and Niall a sense of being in their own little world.

They've been coming down to this spot ever since Niall's got his driver's license and they were swamped with homework and whatnot. It's serene; from here, they can see the entire town, lit up in the dark of night.

"Someday," Niall says dreamily, puffing on the spliff. "We're gonna buy a house together, yeah? Right by the river with a large backyard so our kids and dogs can play in it. Build a tree house for them too."

Harry strokes up and down Niall's side, just because his skin is bare there. "Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm," he blows out a hot stream right into Harry's face. Harry drinks it in, face leaning towards Niall's until they finally meet and devour each other in a fiery kiss.

Niall is eighteen and Harry is seventeen. After this summer, like tomorrow, Niall is leaving to go to his university in Manchester whilst Harry finishes up with high school. It'll be the first time they'll be apart and Harry isn't ready for that.

So when they make love for the first time underneath the stars, it's slow and burning and everything that Harry's wanted his first time with Niall to be like.

And afterwards, Niall cocoons them with blankets and kisses Harry's nose as he whispers, "Love ya Haz," which is the last thing that Harry hears before sleep lulls him over.

 

 

-

 

 

 _Take me back to the time we had our very first fight_  
_The slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnight_  
_You stayed outside till the morning light_  
_Oh my my my my_

 

 

After a month of not seeing Niall, Harry has had enough.

It's just. Just so much harder than he had anticipated. He thought that he could scrape by with listening to Niall talk so enthusiastically about his university and dorm life and such. He is rooming with Josh, some bloke who's a drummer, and he talks about maybe forming a band some day.

But voices are never as good as the real deal. Skype is a poor substitute for the real deal anyways Harry got used to when they would fool around everyday.

So when Niall comes home after six weeks, after his first bout of midterms, Harry marches over to Niall's house. It doesn't matter that it's two blocks away and it's pouring rain. Driving whilst angry is probably a bad idea but Harry doesn't give a fuck.

"Hi," he says, as he is stood on Niall's doorstep, rainwater dripping from his fringe.

"Hey."

"Guess uni's kept you busy, huh?" he prompts.

"Yeah."

Silence fills the void between them Harry just wants to jump his Nialler and kiss him until all the pent-up anger and sadness and frustration has gone. But he can't do that. Not yet.

"Anything interesting happen?"

"No. Just busy as fuck."

"Oh? Not as in busy fuck _ing_?" he asks coldly.

Niall's jaw drops. "Never, Harry! I would never cheat on you! Not in a million years. You _are_ the star of my life, outshining others so why the fuck would I even look at another bloke the way I look at you?"

"'Cause I'm not around all the time anymore!" Harry explodes. "And that Josh has got drummer arms."

"It's not like that! He's me roommie and just that."

"Uh-huh. Good seeing you again, Niall."

With that, he slams the door closed and sprints back to his house.

 

"Harry, where'd--goodness gracious! Why are you half-drowned?"

"Went for a walk," he shrugs. "I'll go shower."

Even the shower doesn't help him cool down. The more he thinks about it, the more he is convinced that Niall has been hiding something from him. Otherwise, he would have made time to come visit him at least once before this weekend. That's gotta be the only explanation.

There's a knock on the door and Harry murmurs a 'come in'.

"Harry," his mum says, concern in her voice. "Niall is outside the door and wants to talk to you."

He scowls. "Tell him I'm asleep. Don't wanna talk to him."

Anne sighs. "It's getting awful out there. Shouldn't you at least try to reason through whatever you two are fighting about?"

"No."

Hours later, Harry is still wide awake. He trots downstairs to get a cuppa or something when he decides to look out the window.

And he nearly spills the kettle when he sees that Niall is still out there.

Niall is stood under the eaves but that doesn't shield him completely from the rain as the winds are howling outside. Harry cringes at how soaked Niall looks and at the utmost broken look that is on Niall's face.

He forces himself to turn back around and finish making his cuppa.

 

 

In the morning, he wakes up and nearly forgets that Niall was standing out the door all night. Towels and jumpers in hand, he rushes outside.

Miraculously, Niall hasn't got blue lips or anything terrible like that. He smiles weakly when he sees Harry.

"Mornin'," he says.

Harry throws his arms around the blond, not caring if he's getting his pyjamas wet. "You idiot. Could've got yourself ill like that."

"Had to be forgiven before I could sleep," he shrugs.

"Of course you're forgiven. I was being stupid and jealous, I'm so sorry."

"Nah. 'Side, Josh is dating Liam. So yeah. No problem. Still love you no matter what.|

There's still sprinkles of rain pattering down on them. Harry smiles weakly as he takes Niall's face in his hands and says, "Love you always too."

 

 

 

-

 

 

 _A few years had gone and come around_  
_We were sitting at our favorite spot in town_  
_And you looked at me, got down on one knee_

 

 

Days of studying madly for the exams are long past them and now, Harry is twenty-five and Niall is twenty-six. It's a lazy September day, the weather surprisingly hot and clear so that they are clad only in their boxers out in their spot by the creek.

"Lovely day, innit," Harry comments, nuzzling into Niall's neck.

Niall giggles. "That tickles, ya twat. Yeah, it is."

Harry grips Niall's chin and turns him around so that they can share a lazy kiss. He sees that Niall is smiling when he pulls away.

"Ah fuck it,'" Niall says suddenly, making Harry jump.

Niall reaches behind him and takes out a small velvet box. "Marry me, Harry Styles. Been in love with you most of me life and don't think anyone  an ever understand me like you do, including meself. So please marry me?"

Tears well up in Harry's eyes and he says 'yes' a thousand times as he throws himself at Niall.

  

 

-

 

 

 _Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle_  
_Our whole town came and our mamas cried_  
_You said I do and I did too_

 

 

The wedding is a big affair.

Most of the Horan clan comes over to England and Greg and Denise's baby has grown so he is chosen to be the ring bearer. And Louis' there of course, and all his four sisters are so lovely and excited about being the flower girls because they get to wear 'princess clothes'.

Their mums cry the whole way through the ceremony and Harry isn't doing much better. Niall looks so dashing in his grey suit and the pink-striped white tie suits him well. His own suit is a similar colour, with an Irish green tie.

By the time it's time for him to say his vows, he feels as though he might pass out from the exhilaration. He keeps on looking into Niall's sapphire blue eyes and manages to say 'I do,' at the right time.

The reception goes swimmingly. Louis makes an embarrassing speech for both of them slightly drunk and it's up to Zayn to wrap up the speech before it gets too lewd for the kids under the age of seventeen. Liam, true to his form, recounts all the cheesy and romantic moments that Harry and Niall shared. Gemma and Greg team up to share the baby photos of them and also other pictures of them together as they grew up together.

By the time it's time for them to board their plane for their honeymoon, Harry is positive that his heart might burst from happiness.

He is Niall's forever and Niall is his forever too.

It couldn't be more perfect.

 

 

-

 

 

 _Take me home where we met so many years before_  
_We'll rock our babies on that very front porch_  
_After all this time, you and I_

 

 

Adopting their first child is an exciting and scary process.

First they have to get interviewed by the people at the agency.  Then they have to go look at all the babies' pictures and pick one.  Niall tries to convince Harry that they should adopt five kids all at once but they can't according to the agency's rules. Harry promises that when they come back, they can adopt two.

Their baby girl is four months old with wispy dark blonde hair and green-blue eyes. They name her Maya and both of their mums coo over the fact that they are grandmothers now and also lament the fact that they are growing ancient.

("Mum, you'll always be a foxy mama," Harry says dutifully and Anne kisses his cheek.

"Always a charmer, you are.")

 

They do buy a house by the river, with a front porch and a large backyard. They have two massive Great Dane/Husky mix pups named Spencer and Toby, both of whom are balls of endless energy. Harry loves them and sneaks them snacks whenever Niall isn't looking. The porch has an old-fashioned swing and Harry loves to sit on it, Maya cradled in his arms as he rock them both gently. And Niall would soon join him, dropping a kiss on his shoulder and holding both Harry and Maya protectively as they sit there.

  

 

-

 

 

 _I'll be eighty-seven; you'll be eighty-nine_  
_I'll still look at you like the stars that shine_  
_In the sky, oh my my my..._

  

 

It's another clear, starry night.

They're both old but they've still got each other; that's all that matters in the end.

Niall still looks at Harry like he holds the entire world in the palms of his hands. And Harry looks at Niall like he is the stars that shine bright in the sky.

It's been a perfect life.


End file.
